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Takeover Team Knows
Its Prey Inside and Out

Comcast Chief Brian Roberts
Has Asset in President Stephen Burke,
Who Worked for 12 Years at Disney

By

Peter Grant Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Updated Feb. 12, 2004 12:49 a.m. ET

In June 1998, Michael Eisner called up Brian Roberts, then president of Comcast Corp. and began yelling. The chief executive of Walt Disney Co. was furious at Mr. Roberts for hiring Stephen Burke, one of his senior executives, to run Comcast's cable systems.

After he hung up, Mr. Roberts immediately called Mr. Burke. "I know I got a great guy now," he said, according to someone familiar with the call.